ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Rocks and Flowers in a Box
Author: Cynthia Hilston
Series: Lorna & Tristan #2
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: December 21, 2019
The wedding bells for Lorna and Tristan Blake toll doom right as the honeymoon begins with an unexpected turn in Tristan’s health. While World War II winds down, Lorna receives a letter from the War Department informing her that the brother she thought killed in action is still alive. She is overjoyed, but his return will dredge up a devastating secret about their parents’ tragic death –a secret that could destroy her new marriage and threaten her husband’s physical and mental well-being. What unfolds is balancing act of keeping the faith and shattering the pieces of the life she’s worked so hard to put back together.
PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | BookDepository
BOOK EXCERPT.
I stared at my mother’s wedding band nestled on my ring finger. A week and two days ago, it had moved from my index finger to its current residence, the significance of that simple act still pulsing through me.
Married.
I, Lorna Ashford, was now Lorna Blake. I, the woman who at the ripe old age of twenty-seven, had resigned herself to the fate of old maid, was married. The tiny wedding had been officiated by my childhood minister, Pastor Wilson, in the Methodist church in my old neighborhood in Cleveland. It was nothing short of a miracle.
A year ago, I didn’t believe in miracles. My faith was broken, as shattered as the bottles of booze my husband left on the beach when he tried to kill himself last fall. He wasn’t even my husband then, but he was the man I loved, the person I opened my heart to after knowing only loss for so many years.
My husband led me back to God. My husband taught me what it was to forgive the seemingly impossible. My husband healed my heart, renewed my faith, even though his own faith still hung with the light shining on half of it, the other half shrouded in darkness. Like a lot of things, he kept his faith as a closed book.
But I had my husband, my new family. My old family was dead.
Two and a half weeks before my wedding, the United States and the other Allies had invaded Normandy in France. Both my life and the world were moving in a positive direction, yet a pang rang through my heart was I remembered Chucky, my brother, who had died last year in this awful war. Getting married three days after the seventh anniversary of my parents’ deaths was also a mixed bag. I hoped to create some new, happy memories.
Stop it, Lorna. Be happy.
As I packed boxes of books, I sneezed from buildup of dust.
“You okay there?”
I looked up from my task and smiled, the warmth overtaking the sadness in my heart. Walking into his tired old living room was the man I loved. Even after all this time, to see him as he really was—blue eyes shining with happiness instead of pent-up heartache—it was like a fairytale dream. I hoped he would open his book and tell me more of his story.
“Just some dust. You really want to keep all of these?” I asked.
He came to me and stilled my hand, removing the tattered book from my grasp, and kissed me. My eyes slid shut for the next several moments, and I let the book fall to the floor, bringing my hands to his face. The usual stubble of not shaving for a week greeted my fingers as I skimmed them over his jawline and cheeks, working into his sandy-colored hair.
“Lorna,” Tristan breathed, “the things you do to me.”
I giggled. “There’s time enough for that later. Let’s get these boxes to my place— that is, our place. That still feels odd to say.”
Tristan picked up one of the larger boxes with a grunt and chuckled. “Our place, yes.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
TOUR GIVEAWAY.
(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 24, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on January 31, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.
Thanks for sharing your book with us. I think we all enjoy hearing about new books we previously didn’t know about. Also, thank you for the giveaway.
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My pleasure. Thank you for commenting.
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Thanks for your comments. Such a lovely cover and book sounds good!
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It was my pleasure. Thanks for commenting.
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Nice spotlight, enjoyed learning about this good themed book. Lovely site as always.
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Thank you so much.
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Reblogged this on Author Cynthia Hilston.
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Thank you.
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Sounds like a great book.
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It sure is. Thanks for commenting.
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Thank you!!! – JustRead Tours
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My pleasure.
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I love the cover.
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I live it too. Very unique. Thanks for commenting.
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This looks really good!
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It sure it. Thanks for commenting.
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Going into a marriage with secrets you’re desperate to hide is never a good thing.
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Never a good thing! Thanks for commenting.b
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Sounds like a must read!
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Yes, yes, it is. Thanks for commenting.
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Glad to learn more about the book!
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My pleasure. Thank for commenting.
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The WWII era is my favorite in the historical fiction genre to read about. This sounds like a wonderful book!
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That’s wonderful! Yes, it is!. Thanks for commenting.
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